John Martin: Apocalypse exhibition at the Tate Britain

Critically derided during his ascendancy to populist acclaim during the 19th century, John Martin’s cataclysmic painted visions of apocalyptic doom have come full circle with a new exhibition at the Tate Britain. Now open at the Tate Britain, the Apocalypse exhibition features Martin’s most iconic works brought together from various different collections from around the world.

The influence of his work can be seen in full cinematic form in every apocalypse movie that’s graces the big screens over recent years thanks to the developments in CGI. However, perhaps its biggest legacy is the awe inspiring, fear inducing reality of religious depictions and their potential influence on the human psyche. It’s often said that it’s no surprise that the Roman Catholic religion came to dominate huge swaths of the world with its religious doctrine thanks to the power of its imagery, but when you factor in the scenes of apocalypse and biblical disasters depicted by Martin, the full force of religion can be seen for all its intense power and grip.

The Tate Britain has brought together the John Martin: Apocalypse exhibition in partnership with Newcastle’s Laing Gallery and the exhibition will be open until the 15th January 2012 – a year that is tipped with apocalyptic prognostications.

Paintings featured include The Great Day of his Wrath (1853), a massive enfolding drama of destruction and human death at the hands of a vengeful god. Admission is £14, with £12 concessions.